Do You Need a Fishing License in Belize? The Sport-Fishing License and Its Fees
Verified on 14 November 2026 on two sets of regulations as printed in the Revised Edition 2020 of the Subsidiary Laws of Belize (Attorney General’s Ministry), and on the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute’s sport-fishing page and brochure.
Yes. Regulation 3(2) of the Coastal Zone Management Authority (Sport Fishing) Regulations says “No person shall engage in sport fishing in Belizean waters unless he is the holder of a valid sport fishing license”. Schedule II of the same regulations sets the fees in Belize dollars: $20.00 for one day, $50.00 for one week and $100.00 for one year; the table converts them at Belize’s fixed 2:1 peg. The Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI) runs the license programme. A separate set of regulations allows bonefish, permit and tarpon to be possessed only in the act of catch and release. That is the law as printed in the Revised Edition 2020, read on 14 November 2026.
| License period (Schedule II) | Fee in Belize dollars, as printed | US$ (our conversion) |
|---|---|---|
| One (1) Day | $20.00 | US$10.00 |
| One (1) Week | $50.00 | US$25.00 |
| One (1) Year | $100.00 | US$50.00 |
CZMAI’s sport-fishing brochure prints the same three periods and the same three fees in Belize dollars.
What counts as sport fishing
The regulations define sport fishing as fishing for the purpose of leisure or competition only, and not for selling or exporting. Regulation 8 deems a person to be engaged in sport fishing if he is on a boat, or engaged or employed on a boat, while it is in use or equipped for sport fishing in the waters of Belize, or if he is engaged or equipped to fish any of the species the Fisheries Administrator designates for sport fishing.
Under regulation 3(5), a person engaged in sport fishing must make a valid license available for inspection on request by a Fisheries Officer, an authorized agent or officer of the CZMA, or an authorized member of the Belize Coast Guard. Regulation 9 makes any contravention an offence liable on summary conviction to a fine of five hundred dollars or imprisonment for a term of six months, or both. Under regulation 6 the Minister may, in his discretion, waive the fees.
The regulations were gazetted on 26 September 2009; the margin of the Revised Edition 2020 text cites them as 115 of 2009, and CZMAI calls them S.I. 115.
The one-year license: the regulations and CZMAI differ
| Source | What it says about the one-year license |
|---|---|
| Schedule II of the regulations, Revised Edition 2020 | One (1) Year, $100.00; no residency condition printed |
| CZMAI’s Sports Fishing Program Unit page, read 14 November 2026 | “To qualify for a one-year Sportfishing license customers must be permanent residents of Belize and be able to provide proof of residency.” |
| CZMAI’s sport-fishing brochure | Anglers buying a 1 year license must apply in person at CZMAI’s office and present a valid ID |
We print both and do not say which applies.
Bonefish, permit and tarpon: catch and release only
Regulation 3(1) of the Fisheries (Species Designation and Protection) Regulations, made under the Fisheries Resources Act (Chapter 210), says: “No person shall have in his possession any bonefish, permit fish or tarpon or any of its product forms, save and except in the act of catch and release.” Under regulation 3(2) no establishment, which the regulations define as a restaurant, store, market or private dwelling where fish is collected, processed or stored to be sold or distributed, may have them in its possession at all. Regulation 5 sets the same penalty: a fine of five hundred dollars or six months’ imprisonment, or both.
| Fish | Name in Belize, as the regulations give it | Scientific name as printed |
|---|---|---|
| Bonefish | macabi | albula vulpes |
| Permit | Permit | trachinotus falcatus |
| Tarpon | tarpon | megalops atlanticus |
The same regulations’ Schedule designates a list of species for the purposes of sport fishing, from White Marlin and Blue Marlin through the mackerels, tunas and snooks to Palometa pompano. CZMAI’s page describes the two 2009 instruments as giving CZMAI the mandate to run the licensing programme and the Fisheries Department the mandate to protect the three species.
Where CZMAI says licenses are sold
CZMAI’s brochure says licenses can be purchased at CZMAI’s office, online at its website or at authorized agents, and lists three: Go Fish Belize at Boca del Rio, San Pedro (Ambergris Caye); the Placencia Tourism Center in Placencia; and Sittee River Marina at Sittee Point, Dangriga. The brochure carries no date.
CZMAI’s sport-fishing page gives its contact as Coastal Zone Multi-Complex Building, Third Floor, Princess Margaret Drive, P.O. Box 1884, Belize City; telephone (501) 223-5739/223-0719; [email protected]. The brochure prints the 2nd Floor of the same complex.
CZMAI and the Fisheries Department are the authorities on these rules; this page only reports what their published texts say.
What the sources don’t publish
Schedule II and the brochure’s fee table, as we read them on 14 November 2026, print only the three periods: no separate rate for children, for residents or for shore fishing. The Revised Edition 2020 text shows the regulations as at 31 December 2020; we could not check whether a later instrument added the residency condition CZMAI states.
How we researched this
On 14 November 2026 we downloaded the Revised Edition 2020 subsidiary laws for the Coastal Zone Management Act (Chapter 329) and the Fisheries Resources Act (Chapter 210) from the Attorney General’s Ministry, extracted the two sets of regulations, and read CZMAI’s sport-fishing page and brochure. The US-dollar figures are our conversion at the fixed 2:1 peg, explained on our Belize currency page.
Sources
- Attorney General’s Ministry — Coastal Zone Management Act, Chapter 329, Subsidiary Laws Revised Edition 2020 (PDF) — regulation 3(2) license requirement, definitions, the inspection rule, regulation 8, the regulation 9 penalty, the fee waiver, the gazette date, Schedule II fees
- Attorney General’s Ministry — Fisheries Resources Act, Chapter 210, Subsidiary Laws Revised Edition 2020 (PDF) — the catch-and-release rule for bonefish, permit and tarpon, the establishment ban, the names, the penalty, the designated species
- Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute — Sports Fishing Program Unit — the two 2009 instruments and their mandates, the one-year residency notice, contact details
- Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute — Sport fishing Brochure (PDF) — the fee schedule, where licenses are sold and the three agents, the in-person one-year rule, the 2nd Floor address
Last verified: 2026-11-14
Researched and written by Estuardo Enriquez for belizetravelblog.com, an independent site with no connection to any airport, airline, tour operator or government body.